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10 Most Shocking F1 Driver’s Death

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Speed ​​not only excites, but it also kills!

Formula 1 has thrilled and captivated audiences since the 1950s, but it has evolved with improved engines, design changes and improved driver safety. But the love for speed remained the same. Fatal crashes by Formula 1 drivers are nothing new.

Over time, the passionate F1 driver has sometimes pushed boundaries because of his love of the sport. However, they did not survive to speak of their exploits. Sadly death has caught up with them and they live among us as icons who have changed the course of Formula 1 racing.

1. Mario Alborghetti

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The first fatalities in F1 date back to the 1950s. The start of the Formula 1 race immediately created a large number of investors in this sport.

Successful sporting events gave rich people the opportunity to flaunt their nobility and climb the social ladder. Italian tycoon Mario Alborghetti went crazy when he ordered his team to build a Grand Prix car. A Maserati 4CLT with a Speluzzi engine was chosen for the trip. The restoration work hit the accelerator at the right time.

However, due to unavoidable delays, the 1955 Turin Grand Prix was pushed back to Four Grands Prix. The Four Grand Prix was a difficult circuit that even the experts were afraid to drive. The situation was even more difficult because Alborghetti was in his first stint. He was expected to lag behind most of the pack and struggled to keep up.

In the 19th round, Jacques Pole came close to beating Alborghetti. But the approaching hairpin drew attention, but Alborghetti misjudged and accelerated instead of braking. He was hit directly with a straw and suffered chest and head injuries. His inaugural F1 tenure led to his funeral. As the first to die in F1, it finds its place in the top 10 greatest F1 driver deaths. 

2. Bill Bukovich

Without a doubt, Americans and speed go hand in hand. The U.S. Grand Prix and Nascar popularized racing culture in the United States. But all good things have a tragic side, and the American auto industry also faced a tragic side in its early days.

The Indianapolis 500 race dug the grave of American racing his driver William Bukovich. Vukovich’s relationship with the Indy 500 is pretty bittersweet. Had it not been for the steering problem, it would have been completed in 1952.

He won there in the 1953 and 1954 seasons. After returning to Korea in 1955, he watched the championship again. Fate intervened and he died halfway through the race with a 17-second lead. Vukovic was following three slow-moving vehicles, one of which crashed into an outside wall and overturned.

Al Keller’s car swerved to avoid an accident. However, it again veered onto the track and collided with a third vehicle, driven by Johnny Boyd. Boyd’s car crossed Vukovich’s path and his car hit an outside wall and overturned. Vukovic landed on top of several parked vehicles, pinned to the wheel of an aerial cart. Recovery teams were rushed to the scene, but Vukovic died from a partially amputated head injury.

3. Peter collins

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The German Grand Prix is a notorious circuit. The Nürburgring is quite famous for its tragic track record. Over time there have been quite a handful of mishaps and some even more so as to bring forth death. The crash of 1958 was responsible for the death of British racer Peter Collins.

The German Grand Prix hailed Collins as the winner of the British Grand Prix. With consistency and agility to take the checkered flag on the German circuit, Collins got off to a great start and caught in a heavy chase with Tony Brooks, however, Collins couldn’t keep up with the drift, and eventually, his Ferrari exploded, flipped in mid-air and landed upside down. Collins suffered serious head injuries after hitting a tree. The day after, he passed away after a fierce life-and-death battle.

4. Wolfgang Von Trips 

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Wolfgang von Trips, born in Germany, is a phenomenon of his time. As a talented person, he had a chance to win. But his achievements were often overshadowed by his tragic death at the 1961 Grand Prix.

In a championship fight against Phil Hill in 1961, Wolfgang von was fierce and attractive. The Italian Grand Prix was one of the deadliest crashes in which one of the top racers was killed. During the race for the championship, his Ferrari collided with a Lotus driven by Jim Clark. The Ferrari reared up, crashed into a side barrier and ejected Trips from the car.

5.Eugenio Castellotti

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Eugenio Castellotti an Italian F1 driver. During his lifetime, Castellotti was known for his public relations work with actress and ballerina Delia Scala. He was also known for his cool demeanour and tailored clothing.

When Eugenio was 20 years old, a local benefactor in Italy gave him a Ferrari. He officially started racing cars in 1952, finally making his Grand Prix debut on 16 January 1955 with the Lancia team. He set a world record at the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix when he became the youngest driver to win pole position at just 24 years old. Like many of his colleagues, Eugenio died young.

He was 26 when he tested the new Ferrari Grand Prix car to be used for the 1957 season. He crashed his car while driving on the Modena circuit and was thrown 100 meters away. He was ruled dead shortly after the crash due to severe skull fractures.

6. Gillles Villenueve 

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Gilles Villeneuve was a famous Formula 1 driver from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Villeneuve began his career in snowmobile racing and eventually graduated to become a professional Formula 1 driver.

Gilles started as a McLaren driver in 1977 and joined Ferrari until his death in 1982. Villeneuve never won a championship but finished second in the 1979 season. However, he recorded six Grand Prix wins during his short career.

Villeneuve died tragically in 1982 when he collided with co-driver Jochen Mass at 140mph during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. Villeneuve’s car crashed into the back of Mass’s car, then flew 100 meters and crashed into the side of the road before being dismantled.

His son Jacques Villeneuve succeeded his father as a racing driver. He proudly carries on his father’s legacy, becoming the first and only Canadian in the history of the sport to win the 1997 Formula 1 season.

7. Ronnie Peterson

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Ronnie Peterson was a Swedish driver known by the nickname ‘SuperSwede’. He raced professionally from 1970 until 1978 and recorded 10 wins in 123 entries throughout his career. He spent his last racing season as the number two driver in the Lotus team behind Mario Andretti.

Peterson was hit in a crash during the Italian Grand Prix that involved 10 other drivers. He lost control after being clipped by James Hunt and his race car flew into the barriers. He was fully conscious throughout the whole ordeal and was pulled from his car by two other drivers who were involved in the 10-car melee.

Although his injuries were visibly serious, doctors did not realize that they were actually life-threatening. He died the next morning of kidney failure due to the physical trauma on both of his legs.

Beatles legend George Harrison paid tribute to Peterson in 1979 with a song he dedicated to the late driver called ‘Faster’.

8. Aryton Senna

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Perhaps the most famous name on the list, the three-time world champion suffered the fate of dying on his circuit in Formula 1. His Grand Prix of San Marino in 1994 was ill-fated from the start was broken. Senna’s compatriot Rubens Barrichello broke his bones and nose after a collision during training.

Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger suffered an even more disastrous result in Saturday’s qualifying race. The Ford he was driving crashed into a concrete wall at over 300 km/h. The incident shocked Senna and he set about reforming the Drivers’ Association.

The main race remained, after a minor accident, the safety car was activated and racing resumed on lap 6 after a safety lap. Fate awaited Senna on lap seven when his car crashed directly into a concrete wall and crashed at over 200 km/h.

During the extraction, Senna was found to have a weak heartbeat and severe blood loss due to an accident. With a slim chance of survival, he was taken to the nearest hospital. In the afternoon, Senna took his last breath, and the racing world added another name to the list of dead Formula 1 drivers.

9. Tom Pryce

One of the most tragic deaths of Formula 1 drivers is probably that of Tom Pryce, neither did he have car trouble or the weather wasn’t good that day. Tom’s death was unexpected.

One Italian driver Renzo Zorzi’s car caught fire and the field marshal entered. However, they crossed the highway without prior permission. Jansen van Vuuren was caught while Joachim Stuck and Pryce moved on. Pryce followed and stopped the stack from hitting Firen. However, Pryce lost control of his speed and collided with the Field Marshal. A 40-pound fire extinguisher brought by Jansen caught Pryce and hit him in the head. His helmet broke and his death was inevitable.

His death was tragic and unexpected for the world and gave us a signal about how unpredictable life can be. His death remains one of the most tragic deaths of an F1 driver.

10. Jules Bianchi 

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Weather plays an important role in determining the course of a race. The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix was lost due to heavy rain and poor visibility. The most recent driver fatality was due to inclement weather. On lap 43, Bianchi’s car lost control and collided with a tractor crane. There was no radio response, so medical teams rushed to treat his injuries.

Because of the clouds, he was transported by road to the hospital. The medical board issued a statement saying that he suffered a head injury. Bianchi died in July 2015 after battling death for nine months. He was the first driver to suffer an injury since Ayrton Senna. Bianchi’s death triggered new rules and regulations regarding the safety of F1 drivers.